TPW 20: Wallsten on International Broadband Comparisons

Over the last couple of months, we’ve noticed that our best shows have been when we had a really smart guest like Randy Picker, Tim Wu, or Fred Von Lohmann and got into an issue in some depth. These episodes tended to run long, because there was too much to discuss in the 7 minutes or so we gave to each issue. So starting this week, we’re trying something a little bit different with the podcast. Instead of trying to cover three issues each week, we’re going to starting having a single guest and cover a single topic, in depth, for 15 to 20 minutes.

Our first episode in the new format is Scott Wallsten of the Progress and Freedom Foundation. You’ve probably heard the factoid that the United States ranks near the bottom among developed countries when it comes to broadband speeds and penetration. In this week’s podcast, Scott helps us dig into these numbers and explain why the United States isn’t doing as badly as is commonly supposed. And he argues that it’s silly to base complex policy decisions on a one-dimensional ranking.

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